>TopicTopicTopicTopicTopicTopicTopicPict(4,110,111,2)< Embark: You use the Embark command to move your fleet around the galaxy. When you select this command, the fleet will travel to the selected planet (which will be shown in the fleet window under planet destination, and have a square around it in the Galactic Map window). Since you are traveling over great distances, your actual arrival time will be plus or minus 0.25 years from the estimated arrival time. The destination planet will have a flashing square aound it while you "leave orbit" of the planet you're at. While you're leaving orbit (and before entering "warp"), you can cancel the embark command by pressing the spacebar. Send Spy Satellites: Use this command to send up to three spy satellites to the currently selected planet (also known as the fleet destination planet). You can specify from one to three spy satellites to send (assuming you have enough). They will arrive plus or minus one year from the estimated arrival time since they may need time to find proper orbit to begin transmitting data. Cryogenics: Use this command to put the fleet into stasis for up to 25 years. This command is useful to quickly pass time while you might be waiting for something (like a planet to produce supplies for your fleet). Don't be concerned if you have to use this a lot at the beginning of a game. Scrap Ships: If you need to eliminate some of your ships for any reason (such as too few supplies or fuel to reach your next destination), use this command. You will be prompted for how many of each type of ship to scrap. Scrapped ships are gone forever and can not be recovered (so be careful!). >TopicPict(4,112,113,2)< Planet commands affect the planet you're currently orbiting, which may be different from the planet information you see in the Planet Information Window (in which case, you can't select any actions). Collect Taxes: If you are orbiting an Empire planet, and that planet has accumulated taxes for the fleet, use this command to collect all those taxes. Enlist Troops: In order to take over other planets, you need to attack with ground forces in transports. New transports do not come equipped with those ground forces and are thus called empty transports. By enlisting troops at Empire planets, you can fill these transports. Selecting this command will allow you to man your empty transports (assuming you have some, and the planet you're orbiting has troops available). Build Ships: You'll need plenty of ships to conquer the galaxy. Building ships requires a planet with an advanced or superior technology. To build ships you need ship parts and credits. The ship parts are supplied by the planet and the credits by the fleet. Let's hope you have enough of each to make the ships you need. When building ships, you will be presented with an order form where you supply the number of each type of ship you want to build. For your convenience, the number of ship parts the planet has, and the number of credits the fleet has is displayed. Also, the number of ship parts and credits needed per ship is displayed for each type of ship you can build. By using the compute button, the number of ship parts and credits needed to fill your order will be shown. Since you will use transports the most, there is a button that will compute the largest number of transports you can build (based on available ship parts and credits), labelled Max T. Using this button will take into account orders for other ships, so you can build some of the other ships and use the remaining ship parts or credits to build transports. This button also performs the same function as the compute button (after determining how many transports to build). Ships built will immediately join the fleet. Building ships will cause about 1 year to pass. Purchase Supplies: Use this command to purchase supplies. Simply enter the number you want to buy, and assuming you have enough credits and carrying capacity, and the planet has the supplies needed, you will get them in about a quarter of a year. Purchase Fuel: Use this command to purchase fuel. Simply enter the number you want to buy, and assuming you have enough credits and carrying capacity, and the planet has the fuel needed, you will get them in about a quarter of a year. Allocate Resources: Use this command to change the resource allocation of an Empire planet you're orbiting. You will be presented with a screen to enter the new allocations. The compute button will add the current numbers and show the total to you (since you'll need to make sure it equals 100% before hitting OK). Occupation Forces: Use this command to add the occupation forces of an occupied planet. This should be the first thing you do after successfully defeating a planet's forces. Since your occupation forces dwindle over time, make sure to leave enough or you'll have to come back to add more later, or worse, the planet will become independent again. Be careful, though, since occupation forces can not be recovered once committed (meaning that you won't get the remaining forces after a planet joins the Empire). You do not (and can not) allocate space occupation forces for primitive or limited technology planets. Attack: Use this command to attack an independent planet. If the planet is an advanced or superior planet, a space battle will take place (unless you have already defeated their space fleet and they have not rebuilt). The battle window shows how many ships remain in your fleet and the planet's fleet, and will be updated frequently. The probability of your winning is also shown here. If that probability is less than 50% and falling, you had better retreat, or risk losing all your forces. If you successfully defeat a planet's space forces, or are attacking a primitive or limited planet, your manned transports will enter a land battle. Again, the number of transports your fleet has and the number of transports the planet has will be displayed, along with your probability of success (based on the number of forces remaining and the planet's fighting ability). If you wish to retreat, click on the retreat button. If you want to have the screen updated more quickly (the enemy has a large number of forces and you want the battle's outcome to be determined more quickly), press the plus or equal key ("+" or "="). To slow the rate the screen is updated, press the minus or underscore key ("-" or "_"). After a battle, click OK to continue. Assuming you have three spy satellites orbiting a planet, you will know the size of the planet's military. The size of the military and the technology level of the planet will help you determine how many forces you'll need to win. You forces fight much better than primitive technology forces, somewhat better than limited technology forces, as well as advanced technology forces, and somewhat worse than superior technology forces. Thus, if attacking an advanced planet with the same number of forces in your fleet as the planet has, you'll have a 50% chance of winning. Of course, you'd never want to do this as you'll need some occupation forces left for that planet if you planet to hold it. After successfully defeating a planet's forces, that planet will become occupied. It won't stay so for long unless you add some occupation forces to keep the planet from becoming independent again. A planet can take over 50 years to join the Empire once occupied, so plan the number of forces you need carefully. Your occupation forces will attrition over the years, at a rate determined by the population of the planet and it's military resource allotment. The rate of occupation resource attrition is approximately one half the rate at which a planet rebuilds its military (if you don't destroy all its forces, or it goes independent again). If you don't defeat all a planet's forces, or it does become independent again (heaven forbid!), that planet will begin rebuilding its military. A planet can rebuild its entire military (back to the levels before the attack) in 50 years. It will take even less time if you didn't defeat all its forces. >TopicTopic